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ABC outs fundraising payback appointment

MaggieD

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Here's why I put this under 2012 Election:

As Fernando exchanged hugs and greetings with other top donors in Charlotte this week, he embodied what some watchdog groups say has been a surprising aspect of President Obama's first term. Despite his pledges to change the way business is done in Washington, Obama has continued a tradition of appointing top donors to prestigious posts in government and seats on influential federal commissions.

​About Fernando

For one of President Obama's top fundraisers, the appointment last year to an elite group of State Department security advisors appeared to be an odd fit. Rajiv Fernando, a Chicago securities trader, has never touted any international security credentials, yet he was appointed alongside an august collection of nuclear scientists, former cabinet secretaries and members of Congress to advise Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on crucial security matters.

Fernando, president of Chopper Trading, has distinguished himself in one way, though. He is one of the most prolific bundlers of campaign contributions for President Obama's reelection, raising more than $500,000 this cycle. Prior to his State Department appointment, Fernando gave between $100,000 and $250,000 to the William J. Clinton Foundation, and another $30,000 to a political advocacy group, WomenCount, that has indirectly helped Hillary Clinton retire her lingering campaign debts.

How Fernando found a place on the intelligence panel remains an unanswered question. Fernando declined repeated requests to be interviewed over the past several months. When he was approached by ABC News this week in his hotel lobby, [at the convention] he turned away from cameras, asked hotel security to arrest the reporters, and at one point grabbed an ABC News camera and apparently attempted to break it.

Days after ABC News contacted the State Department in 2011 to ask about his qualifications to serve on the panel, Fernando announced he had stepped down, saying he was too busy to participate. The State Department declined to provide his resume, or offer comment.


Just business as usual . . .
 
Looks kind of fishy. I've questioned quite a few of Obama's appointments, honestly. It could be about "returning the favor" to people who helped him accomplish goals, sure. But from a slightly less nefarious angle, it could also be about simply having people he can trust in key positions. Obama wasn't a senator for that long before becoming president, and he didn't come from a family with a long political background. He didn't have the same connections to a wealth of logical appointees like Bush or Clinton did.

With this guy, I'm on the fence. The description of his actions when confronted by the reports seems a bit reckless and irrational to me, but who knows what was going on at that exact moment?
 
Wow. This must have been what the President meant by hailing a return to "Pay-Go" back in 2010.
 
Fernando is a great example of Obama's Chicago values.
 
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